Traditions and Challenges
  4/2/2009 4:19:55 PM
 
I have to tell you that my favourite holiday time is coming up. Yup, it’s Easter. Being Catholic, the religious aspect of Lent is meaningful, but I want to talk about what this holiday means to me in terms of family and food. Those two words go hand in hand. Starting off the weekend on Good Friday, a day that Catholics traditionally do not eat meat, we have our very own seafood fest. Our tradition is to have lobster, crab legs, and shrimp. The challenge is figuring out what to wear to this traditional dinner…which pants have the most give?

 

Round two takes place on Saturday at the in-laws. This is a household that has an upstairs kitchen (the “good kitchen”). This is the kitchen where cooking never actually takes place. It is being preserved; presumably for the “good company” (the Pope, I think). The actual cooking takes place in the base-a-ment. This is the heart of the house. It is the entrance from the garage, even for company (only the Pope will get to enter from the front door); it is the laundry room; and most importantly, it is where all of the wonderful smells of traditional Italian cooking emanate. The challenge is staying out of my mother-in-law's way and not nibbling on the stuffed and breaded fried olives or the fried eggplant or the roasted peppers before dinner (or is it supper?). By the way…in preparation for this Saturday feast, she will have set the table on Thursday .

Our tradition on Easter Sunday morning is to put the cinnamon buns in the oven while we watch the kids excitedly search the house for the chocolate eggs and treats that the Easter Bunny has so cleverly hidden (hopefully long enough to sit and enjoy a coffee). The challenge here is to be able to sustain my daughter’s request to continue playing hide-and-seek with the eggs with mommy for the next week or so.  

After sitting down to our traditional Easter Sunday meal: BBQ’d lamb chops and Longo’s Spiral Honey Ham (smacking my lips right now!), the challenge begins…to work off the weight gained from non-stop eating all weekend.

 

Click here to read the flyer article “Holiday Traditions” /RosanneBlog/uploads/Articles/April 3 - Holiday Traditions.doc. I welcome you to share your personal stories on holiday traditions and challenges. 

By the way, “R”, I have a marshmallow with peanut butter and Nutella on a stick in the freezer RIGHT NOW!!! Great suggestion. My cousin also has a good one…peanut butter and Nutella spread on a salty cracker…and put in the freezer. Great combination of sweet and salty!
 
4/8/2009 4:28:35 PM, Anne Green wrote:
I'll bet the food is AMAZING!  I have friends who are Italian and have the 2 kitchen thing going on!  Sometimes when I am really lucky they bring me some of the leftovers! 
 
Easter is such a special time for the kids.  There are so many great activities going on in Mississauga this Easter. 
You can:
  • Hunt for egg with Dora at Alpha's Discovery Club
  • Attend a Bunny Hop Party at The Laughing Trunk
  • Hunt for Eggs in the Central Library
  • Attend a Special Easter Story Time at the Library
 
For information about these and other activities for Mississauga Kids and Families check the Mississauga Kids Website!

 
 
4/8/2009 3:35:04 PM, LW wrote:
Hi Rosanne
I'm still laughing about the pants.  Iv'e tried to give up sweets for lent just to make sure I had enought room in the pants for Easter... somehow it never works.  I love and share some of your family traditions and can't wait for Easter to arrive.  Oh... do you think I your mother in law would share her stuffed breaded fried olive recipe?
 
lw
4/7/2009 1:25:31 PM, Davinder Hundal wrote:
It has never been a tradition for us to celebrate Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas, however, my parents have always done it for us anyways.  We have always done the turkey dinners and really have celebrated every holiday.  As we get older and have kids of our own, I am positive that we will too make sure our kids enjoy each and every holiday like we did if not more so. 
 
I have learned that trying to shake off pounds is extremely difficult to do.  This is only becuase you can't really do it for only a month since something is always comes up.(excuses)  I know I am speaking for my family, but, I am sure a lot can relate when I say, you really can'y escape food or the tempataions for it!  And if you can resist (I know I can't) kudos to you! 
I really enjoy reading all your blogs and you see how a lot of people can relate to you. (Btw, love the pictures )
4/7/2009 12:36:33 PM, Jana Schilder wrote:
Hi Rosanne,
 
As the Chair for the Celebrity Chef Challenge in support of the Victim Services of Peel, I wonder if you could help me...
 
The portobello mushroom ravioli created by Chef Adrian Vogt were outstanding! I really need the recipe for my collection. Perhaps you could inquire with Chef Adrian.? And publish the recipe here, or in your wonderful Experience Magazine. <insert humble grovelling here>
 
Apparently, I won one of the door prizes that night:  2 tickets to see the new AGO. Woo-hoo!
 
Thanks for a fantastic event. See you next year.
 
....jana
4/6/2009 8:49:28 PM, PID wrote:
Rosanne, that is so weird! My family shares the same Easter morning tradition; cinnamon rolls for breakfast. The problem I have is that they are always all gone before I get to my parents house. P
4/2/2009 10:24:48 PM, R wrote:
Oh my God. I think you just described Easter for every Italian family. I know that we have the big seafood meal on Good Friday, it's a close second to Christmas Eve. Little worried about all the chocolate that will be consumed on Easter morning. But it's so good, no guilty feelings when you're eating a little bit of heaven.
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